Alias

You’re going to see a lot of weird science on “Fringe,” the hotly anticipated new series from J.J. Abrams (“Lost”) that debuts on Fox Tuesday night. Tonight’s pilot, for example, features a mad scientist (John Noble) doing some kind of freaky mind-melding experiment with an FBI agent (Anna Torv).

But the great thing about “Fringe,” says Abrams, is this stuff isn’t totally out of the realm of possibility.

“The show is coming out at a time when every week we read or see some kind of potentially horrifying scientific breakthrough … We are at a time where science is out of control,” Abrams told reporters during a conference call. He pointed out that recently scientists talked of having some success in attempting to develop an invisibility cloak device after creating two types of materials that can bend light the wrong way. Continue Reading →

One of the most anticipated shows of the fall is Fox’s “Fringe,” a high-concept, pulse-pounding, “X-Files”-like drama from J.J. Abrams, the man who helped bring into the world dense, complex shows such as “Lost” and “Alias.”

But Abrams is promising that, unlike those series, “Fringe” won’t feel like homework. He learned his lesson, he said, after watching an episode of “Alias” at a friend’s house and struggling to keep up with what was going on.

â€œLiterally, it was impenetrable,â€ he told critics at television’s summer press tour.

He absolutely assures us — and we’ll hold him to it — that “Fringe” will take a stand-alone procedural approach. Not only that, it will follow a clear-cut path to a preordained finish line.

â€œWe believe it is possible to do a show that has an overall story and end game — and this show absolutely does â€¦ but also a show that you donâ€™t have to watch Episodes 1, 2 and 3 to watch Episode 4,â€ he said.

While Abrams insists he loved working on â€œAlias,â€ he said he can see how it was “difficult” for a lot of viewers.

â€œThis show is going to have a different paradigm,â€ he insisted. â€œWeâ€™re trying very diligently to do a show that doesnâ€™t require the kind of insane, absolute dedication to a series that, if you miss an episode, you truly have no idea what’s going on.”